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About This Quiz
Get ready to navigate your way through this awe-inspiring challenge! You may have seen these sites once or twice before, but do you know where they can be found on a U.S. map? No need to whip out your compass; we offer plenty of hints to fuel your success along this digital journey!
The first landmarks can be seen and recognized from far-away distances. Back in the day when travelers voyaged across the land and sea, these fixtures of the American landscape served as necessary directional signposts. Early maps included drawings of unique, mostly natural structures of the globe, and milestones of a journey would be set by them. Major turning points along life's journey eventually took on similar meaning, and today we regard a momentous occasion as such.
Man-made landmarks have changed the way humans view themselves and their environment. These modern markers guide a crucial understanding of our current physical as well as psychic place and our future aspirations. The Space Needle in Seattle, Washington, was erected for two main reasons: to commemorate American technological achievements, and to inspire the nation's citizenry to dream bigger. Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate in Chicago, Illinois is a reflective, massively scaled mound that signifies the futuristic "stuff" of tomorrow and beyond.
See if you can recognize our selection of U.S. state sites!
Wyoming
The first national park in the United States boasts 2,000 campsites, the Old Faithful geyser and an abundance of native flora and wild animals. The United Nations has designated Yellowstone National Park a world heritage site.
New York
Ohio
Wisconsin
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New Mexico
California
The Hollywood Sign of Los Angeles, California was constructed in the 1920s. Originally spelled as "Hollywoodland," the structure used to be illuminated by 20-watt bulbs that numbered 4,000.
Nevada
New Jersey
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Pennsylvania
Virginia
Felix de Weldon was inspired to craft the original 12-foot cast stone Iwo Jima statue after seeing an Associated Press photo of the actual flag mounting, which occurred on February 23, 1945. American photographer Joe Rosenthal earned a Pulitzer Prize for the image.
Maine
Hawaii
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Connecticut
Louisiana
South Dakota
Colorado
Spanning over 52,000 acres of Colorado's southwest region is Mesa Verde National Park. Archaeologists believe that roughly 80 people lived in the park's Spruce Tree House, which ancestors of the Puebloan people constructed from A.D. 1211 and 1278.
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Florida
The John F. Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida was initially constructed for the launch of Saturn V, the only launch to send humans past low Earth orbit. Inside the 84,000-acre space center is the Launch Control Center where NASA has administered over 150 launches.
Rhode Island
Alaska
Oklahoma
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Oregon
Washington
Georgia
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail spans 14 U.S. states and stretches approximately 2,200 miles between North Georgia and Maine. Mount Katahdin, Maine ends the pathway. Millions of hikers visit the trail every year.
Texas
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Montana
Louisiana
West Virginia
Florida
William H.G. France broke ground to construct the Daytona International Speedway in 1958. Lee Petty won the inaugural Daytona 500 race in 1959. France is also the founder of NASCAR.
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Nevada
New York
New York City's Rockefeller Center opened its doors on November 1, 1939. In 1985, the Rockefeller Group purchased the land under the original center for $400 million from Columbia University.
Colorado
California
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Minnesota
South Carolina
Myrtle Beach comprises 60 miles of sandy beaches and 14 communities, starting at Little River to Pawley's Island. The famous travel site offers a subtropical climate and an assortment of entertainment options.
Alabama
Hawaii
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Wisconsin
Virginia
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has housed the remains of previously unidentified U.S. soldiers who had perished in past wars. With today's science, the soldiers now can be identified. Critics have vocalized that interring identifiable remains just for the sake of the monument is unethical.
Nevada
Wyoming
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Texas
Illinois
Missouri
Hawaii
It's common to see lava flowing at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which is home to active volcanoes Mauna Loa and Kilauea. The national park includes 31 miles of picturesque roadway.
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Florida
Mississippi
Ohio
Tennessee
In 1957, Elvis Presley purchased the southern colonial mansion that sits on a 13.8-acre estate known as Graceland. Constructed as a country home in 1939, Graceland is a 30-minute car ride from downtown Memphis.
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New Hampshire
Michigan
Detroit, Michigan's Renaissance Center was meant to revive the city's once-prosperous downtown district after the 1967 race riots. Completed in 1977, the center includes a 74-story, 1,300-room hotel and four 39-story office towers.
Pennsylvania
North Carolina
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New Jersey
Ohio
After two years of construction, the 150,000 square-foot Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened on Labor Day weekend in 1995. In 1983, a group of music industry types devised the concept for the facility dedicated to rock music.
Delaware
Maryland
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Massachusetts
New Mexico
Kentucky
Churchill Downs Racetrack owns the distinction of being one of Kentucky's oldest businesses. Considered one of the world's most celebrated racetrack institutions, Churchill Downs is home to the historic Kentucky Derby.
Virginia
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Washington
Each year, over 13,000 people ascend Mount St. Helens to gaze over its crater. On May 18, 1980, the volcano erupted, devastating signs of life for 230 square miles. Young trees at Meta Lake survived the explosion because they were blanketed under 10 feet of snow.
Delaware
South Carolina
Vermont
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California
Nestled at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine streets in Los Angeles, the Capitol Records Building houses the same-titled music company that was the brainchild of songwriter Johnny Mercer and store owner Glenn Wallichs. Paramount Pictures legend Buddy DeSylva financed the venture.
New Hampshire
Pennsylvania
Ohio
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Arkansas
Tennessee
Tennessee's Grand Ole Opry started on November 28, 1925 as "The WSM Barn Dance." Original programming included the Crook Brothers and Kirk McGee. Eventually, the country music institution grew bigger and moved to its permanent location in 1974.
Florida
Maine
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New Jersey
Built in 1870, the original Atlantic City Boardwalk was constructed after hotel owners complained of the beach sand that guests would track into their establishments. The first boardwalk was taken apart at night and reassembled every day based on beach conditions.
Wisconsin
Texas
Alabama
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Minnesota
Georgia
Stone Mountain is a massive rock that weighs 630 million tons and sits inside of Georgia's 3,200-acre park of the same name. In 1958, the state obtained the land that features renowned Indian trails.
Kansas
Idaho
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Georgia
Utah
The hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park are located approximately 260 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada. Natural elements sculpted amphitheaters that gleam boldly colored strata along the rim of the towering plateau.
Wyoming
Montana
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Louisiana
Alaska
Mendenhall Glacier is one of 38 in Juneau Icefield, which is the fifth-largest ice system in North America. Mounds of snow form the glacier's ice crystals due to pressure from the snow's own weight.
North Dakota
West Virginia
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Arizona
South Dakota
Rhode Island
Massachusetts
The Visitor's Center at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park is inside an old former bank, one of many 19th-century buildings that line the 13 blocks of old New Bedford within the park. A whaling ship from the historical era is one of the park's prominent features.
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Alaska
Oklahoma
New Hampshire
New Hampshire's Mount Washington is included within the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. Mount Washington is extremely windy because it's positioned at the convergence of three storm tracks that significantly influence weather patterns in the Northeast.
South Dakota
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Maryland
Pimlico Race Course opened its doors on October 27, 1870. Maryland Governor Oden Bowie launched an annual stakes race named for Preakness. In 1908, Emmanuele Cedrino set a world record for clearing a mile of circular track in 51 seconds at Pimlico.
West Virginia
Louisiana
Montana
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Wyoming
Georgia
Nebraska
Alaska
There are a little over 1,500 species of plants, 39 mammal species and 169 bird species at Denali National Park and Preserve. The area was established on February 26, 1917, but the first climb toward Denali's summit happened in 1913.
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Idaho
Nevada
Iowa
Connecticut
Samuel Clemens penned his frustrations concerning his 19-room home in an 1874 letter to his in-laws, stating: "I have been bullragged all day by the builder, by his foreman, by the architect..." Edward Tucker Potter was the local architect who designed the three-story home that's now a museum.
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Oregon
Minnesota
New York
McClellan so-named the area Times Square because two years prior Adolph Ochs, owner of the New York Times, started construction of the Times Tower there. The tourist mecca of today is a result of strict zoning laws that revived the declining neighborhood starting in 1982.
Alabama
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Hawaii
Texas
California
Chief engineers Joseph Strauss and Charles Ellis began working on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge on January 5, 1933, although the official groundbreaking ceremony wasn't scheduled until February 26. The 4,200-foot-long, 1.7 mile bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County over a strait.
Illinois
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Maine
Indiana
Missouri
On October 28, 1965, engineers managed to fit eight-foot "One North" snugly between two legs, which were only three-eights of an inch off, with hydraulic jacks. Thousands filled the riverfront to cheer on crews at the St. Louis Arch event known as "Topping Day."
Mississippi
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Vermont
Kentucky
New York
Madison Square Garden's second 32-story tower location opened in 1890 on the same East Side spot as the first. Built in 1968, the present venue rises above Pennsylvania Station and underwent a $200-million renovation before opening in 1991.
Delaware
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Virginia
At the beginning stages of World War II in 1941, Army Construction Division chief General Brehon Somervell thought it best to house all U.S. military headquarters in one building. Somervell gave architects one weekend to devise the blueprint for The Pentagon.
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Mexico
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Virginia
Illinois
The 110-ton, 33-foot tall, 66-foot long, 42-foot wide Cloud Gate structure was first unveiled when Chicago's Millennium Park opened in July 2004. Bombay, India native Anish Kapoor is the artist responsible for imaging one of the biggest outdoor sculptures on the planet.
Kentucky
Vermont
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New Hampshire
Wyoming
Devils Tower looms over northeast Wyoming where the most popular trail wraps around the base of the 1,267-foot tower. On September 24, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt designated the site as the nation's first national monument.
Pennsylvania
Arkansas
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New York
Opened in 1902, New York City's Flatiron Building is a towering straight-edged triangle. A cowcatcher, the jutting street-level glass gazebo, was quickly added to the odd-shaped building after it was erected.
Florida
Indiana
Maine
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Wisconsin
Texas
Florida
Walt Disney envisioned Epcot as a world community and a mixture of American innovation with industry. Epcot unveiled the Spaceship Earth when the facility opened on October 1, 1982.
Hawaii
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New Mexico
A scenic fixture on the Pajarito Plateau, the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks were classified as New Mexico's 11th national monument on January 17, 2001. Translated as "White Cliffs," the name Kasha-Katuwe is Keresan, the traditional language of the Pueblo de Cochiti.
Alabama
Michigan
California
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Kansas
Nevada
Idaho
California
San Luis Obispo, California's Bubble Gum Alley is an actual 70-foot-long, 20-foot-high alley of facing walls covered in 1.9 million chewed mounds of gum. The unofficial national landmark was started in the late '50s.
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Tennessee
Many music legends flocked to Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. When Elvis Presley visited the iconic recording studio for the first time, he was asked who he sounded most like, to which Presley replied, "I don't sound like nobody."
Georgia
Wyoming
Montana
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Maryland
Of those who attended the United States Naval Academy, known also as Annapolis, are one United States president and 53 astronauts. The concept of a naval academy had been introduced to the U.S. Congress 20 times with no results between 1800 and 1845.
West Virginia
Arizona
South Dakota
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